I saved my all-time favorite for last. It’s fun, original, and full of a little mystery.
Not only is it based out of an old 1930s garage station, but feels reminiscent of the past. Based off several easy-to-love interests- vintage California, rock-n-roll, and a little bit of motor culture, they’ve created a unique wine culture. All bottles of wine are themed and limited edition, but are all tasty with amazing label designs. They say, “Tank became known for doing cool shit, pushing the boundaries, and trying things other wineries wouldn’t. A winery not for everybody, but for certain somebodies looking for something fresh.” Their slogan “Never Dream Alone” is branded throughout most of their merchandise including amazing t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, stickers, and bottle openers.
What draws me to this winery is its effortless “chill” ambience, that is calm, cool, and collected. It feels mysterious yet familiar; cozy yet out-of-the-box; playful and comfortable, and a bit irreverant. I love that all their bottles feel like brand new ideas, creating a whole new world of wine culture. Since they sourced their grapes from growers all over the state, the wine styles and flavors change each year. But they are all delicious and the experience is unlike any of the others we visited. And the little town of Calistoga is particularly charming and an easy walk from the tank tasting room.
<aside> ☝
While writing this section of the article, I found several misconstrued negative comments online about the winery itself. In my personal opinion, if this company was just in it for the money, I don’t think they would work so hard at the individuality and craft of their product or their attention to detail and service with their guests.
I also want to point out that this experience is FAR different from the other wineries that I visited, as it is the only winery that grows none if its own grapes.
</aside>
Examples of some of Tanks’ wine bottles.
Another rather noteable example of Tank Winery sending a little extra love to their feelings about Covid. This bottle was released in 2020 and sold out within a couple days.
When I say their wine names are unusual and their labels are funky, here is what I mean. To the left, I’ve included an image of one of my recent favorites called “Surf Bums.” This is a blend of red wine, which they love to do, but since they manage to pull grapes from all around, each tastes drastically different than the next. This one is not only fun and cute, but they also sell bikini bottom stickers specifically for this bottle’s labels, really demonstrating the playful and fun nature of the brand.
I also included another bottle of red that we also got to try at the tasting. This one is more tame in comparison yet still has some of their characteristic edginess.
Since they only make a certain amount of every bottle, I’m currently hoarding two bottles of their red called I Love You but I’ve Chosen Disco, featuring a woman with a disco ball head. I wish they had that on a tshirt!
Learn about them and the grapes here —> Tank Garage